Lung Cancer
The increase in lung cancer largely
explains the steady rise in the number of cancer deaths in
the United States. Most of the estimated 146,000 deaths
caused by lung cancer each year result from cigarette
smoking. The incidence in men declined from a high of 86.6
per 100,000 in 1984 to 81.5 in 1988. Unfortunately, the rate
in women has been rising steadily, reaching a high of 39.8
per 100,000 in 1988. More women are smoking and, as a result,
more women now die of lung cancer than breast cancer, which
forty years ago was the leading cause of cancer death in
women.
The symptoms of lung cancer include a
persistent cough, sputum streaked with blood, chest pain, and
recurring pneumonia or bronchitis. Additional risk factors
include exposure to industrial chemicals (including arsenic,
certain organic chemicals, and asbestos); radiation exposure,
including possible residential radon exposure (especially for
smokers); and for non-smokers, passive exposure to sidestream
cigarette smoke.
Unfortunately, early detection of lung
cancer is very difficult. Symptoms often don't appear until
the disease is in an advanced stage. If smokers quit when
early precancerous cellular changes have already damaged
bronchial lining tissue, there is a chance that the disease
will not progress. Those who continue to smoke often end up
with lung cancer.
The treatment of lung cancer depends on
the type and stage of the disease and includes surgery,
radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. If the cancer is
localized, surgery is the best option. However, because only
18 percent of lung cancers are discovered early enough for
surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are often
necessary.
In small-cell carcinoma, a large
percentage of patients achieve remission with
chemotherapy--alone or in combination with radiation--instead
of surgery. Small-cell carcinomas have responded to the
following combinations: cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and
vincristine; cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and
etoposide; and etoposide and cisplatin.
Experimental immunotherapy for lung
cancer uses BCG vaccine, or
Corynebacterium parvum. In experimental laser therapy,
laser energy is beamed through a bronchoscope to destroy
local tumors, which are often the cause of bronchial
obstruction and resulting infection.
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